


A Bad Boy's Guide to Getting an Enemy

by endzela



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 80s Without Homophobia, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Bad Boys Who Are Soft Inside, Billy and Max Care About Each Other, Blood and Injury, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Sex, Halloween, M/M, Minor Violence, Past Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Pining, Romance, autumn vibes, mentions of bullying, not gonna lie I made Billy a lot nicer than he actually is, robin and steve are bffs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:09:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26770021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endzela/pseuds/endzela
Summary: ...And then falling in love with him.Steve Harrington wants to just graduate from Hawkins High School in peace, but a new boy in town has other plans for him.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 6
Kudos: 115





	A Bad Boy's Guide to Getting an Enemy

”Tell me, are you still dwelling on what happened between you and Nancy?” 

Steve glanced over his shoulder at Robin and continued putting new VHS cassettes on display. “What makes you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that you keep sighing every two minutes and you have barely spoken anything since your shift began.”

Bruce Springsteen was playing quietly on the radio in the background. Robin drummed her fingers on the counter to the beat, humming along to Born to Run.

“To be honest, I’m not sure whether the thing that bothers me the most about all this is that Nancy dumped me, or that Nancy dumped _me_ ,” Steve tried to play it cool and managed to catch Robin rolling her eyes at her.

“I take all of my sympathy back,” she said. “Wait. Don’t tell me that you’ve never been dumped before.”

Steve kept his mouth shut, his heart crumbling silently.

It was hard to erase the image of Nancy from his head; her sweet and sad eyes looking up at him while she bit her lip, telling him it’d be better if they broke up. 

It had been after a basketball match as well. Steve’s team had won, and they had been planning on going to celebrate it to his place with pizza and beer, but then Nancy had pulled him aside, leaving him feeling empty and sad.

Robin raised her eyebrows. “Seriously? Well, it was about time the king Steve Harrington got his ass dumped to know how it feels like.”

“Don’t call me that,” he muttered.

“What, Steve?”

“Har har. I mean–“

The bell on the door jingled, and a customer with wild curls and dark-tinted sunglasses stepped inside. He was chewing a gum, and he took one look around the store, marching to the horror section, grabbing one of the VHS tapes without even examining it properly. 

He dropped it to the counter with his ID and a five-dollar bill, giving Robin a wide smile. “Are you free tonight?” the guy asked and leaned against the counter. Half of the buttons of his shirt had been left unbuttoned, revealing his tanned chest and part of his abs, leaving little to the imagination. 

In the corner of his eye Steve saw Robin tense, although she tried her best to hide it by giving the customer a polite smile and a fake laugh while she took his identity down and gave him his change. He put down the cassettes in his hands and stepped between her and the counter. “Sorry but she’s not interested.”

The guy raised his eyebrow. “You her boyfriend or what?”

“No, but–“

“Then let the girl answer herself.”

Robin seemed to have had enough time to collect herself. “The girl says that she’s not interested. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

The guy’s blue eyes bore into Steve’s, almost like a challenge, and Steve felt something inside him twist into a knot and make his instinct to fight or flee rise to the surface. Then the guy broke their eye-contact and the tension disappeared.

“Just this,” he said to Robin with a grin, taking the VHS. “See you later. You too, pretty boy.”

“You- you’re the… pretty… one…” Steve’s voice tailed off as he realized that the comeback he had intended to be an insult didn’t really sound like an insult. It wasn’t even a proper comeback.

“Very smooth, Dingus. Very smooth,” Robin commented after the guy had left, and couldn’t hold back a grin. 

“Shut up. His long eyelashes distracted me,” Steve huffed and crossed his arms. “Who even was he? I’ve never seen him around before.”

“His card said ‘Billy Hargrove’.” Robin looked thoughtful. “You know, he kind of reminded me of you. A bit more asshole-ish, rock version of you.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “What? I was never _that_ bad! …Was I?”

“You were. At least until junior year,” she said, giving him a pat on the back.

“We didn’t even know each other back then!”

“Exactly. Listen, no matter how much I hated seeing you and Nancy together, I have to admit that she was good for you.”

Alright, maybe she was right. Steve had never exactly been the quiet kid at school; he got invited to the cool kids’ parties, knew everyone at school and everyone knew him, had never had any trouble finding someone to date, and was – used to be – friends with the school bullies. And although it pained him to admit it, he had been somewhat of a bully himself too, and he hated himself for that.

Nancy Wheeler had changed his priorities, and now he worked part-time in a video rental shop and planned on going to college after high school. He still hung out with his old friends sometimes and went to parties every now and then, but lately he had realized how different their views on some things were, and, to be honest, he didn’t enjoy spending time with them anymore.

Instead, Robin had become the person he always looked forward to seeing at work.

“I’m going to get a cup of coffee. You want one?” Steve asked while heading to the backroom, not wanting to continue talking about Nancy.

“Do you even need to ask?”

~*~*~

Bright and early on Monday morning, Steve found the bastard from the rental shop sitting right next to his desk at English class, skimming through a copy of The Great Gatsby, looking like he owned the place. 

Of course he just happened to be the same age as Steve and a new student at Hawkins High School.

“Well if it isn’t the pretty boy from the rental shop,” Billy grinned, baring his teeth. He smelled of cigarettes and cologne. “I heard you used to run this school. King Steve, right?”

Steve flashed him a forced smile and sat down, praying that the floor would open up and swallow either him or Billy. 

Why did he have such a bad luck? It was his last year in high school. _Last year_. At the beginning of his summer vacation, he had promised himself to avoid trouble from then on so that he could graduate in peace and then get the hell out of Hawkins. 

With Billy around, it’d probably be impossible to keep his promise.

The teacher cleared her throat at the front of the class, adjusting her thick-rimmed glasses. “Alright then, quiet down, please. Can anyone tell us what the green light symbolizes in this novel?” 

It wasn’t a surprise that Billy became popular over the next few weeks, although Steve didn’t understand what everyone saw in him. 

Yes, he was good at sports, had that macho male energy around him, drove a ´79 Camaro, wasn’t bad looking – but his attitude was awful, and based on how he pushed Steve to the ground every chance he got during their basketball practice and made his life overall miserable, he seemed to consider Steve his greatest rival. 

All because Steve had dared to stand up to him at the video rental shop.

“I heard from Hagan that you and that Nancy girl used to be a couple,” Billy said when they were taking a shower together after the practice. “Since you’re not a thing anymore, you probably don’t mind if I hit on her, do you?”

Steve sent a glare at him and scoffed. “By all means. I don’t think you’re her type, though.”

Billy’s eyes narrowed, and he reached out to turn off the water from the shower Steve was standing under. “You’d be surprised, Harrington.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and as he walked by Steve, he patted his shoulder.

Steve punched the water back on, cursing Billy in his mind as he violently rubbed the shampoo off his hair.

~*~*~

It was an unusually quiet Friday afternoon at Family Video. Steve and Robin had ran out of things to do after only one hour in their shift, so they had just leaned against the counter, ate some chocolate that the shop had for sale, and talked shit about everyone in their school. So far the discussion about Billy had been the longest, and the one Steve had been the most passionate about.

“Since you have a day off tomorrow, mind if I check out early today?” Robin asked suddenly, wrapping another chocolate bar open.

Steve took one look at her face, and he grinned. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

“Oh, shut it,” Robin mumbled, but her lips curled up into a smile. “You remember Lisa from science?

“The pretty brunette? Of course I remember her. Wait – seriously? You and her..?”

“It’s nothing _official_ yet,” she emphasized, “but yes, I’m going on a date with her tonight.”

“Well I’ll be damned. Good for you,” snickered Steve. “Finally you’re getting some action too. I was getting worried.”

“Hey!” She punched his shoulder lightly while laughing.

The rest of the evening went by quickly, and Robin clocked out two hours before closing time, leaving Steve alone to try to find something to entertain himself with. Fortunately a few customers came by, chatting with him for a minute or two, but other than that, he just listened to music and let his thoughts wander until he could close the store.

Making sure that the front door was locked and everything was in order, Steve exited through the backdoor and shut it firmly behind him. 

A yawn escaped his mouth as he started searching for the car keys from his bag, but then he remembered that he needed to buy some milk and cereals, and since the grocery store wasn’t that far, he decided to walk there to wake himself up.

Even though it was Friday night, the town had quieted down already and almost everything was closed, except for the arcade place next to Family Video. Streetlamps shone their yellow light on the deserted street, and somewhere a dog was barking. 

Nothing interesting ever happened in Hawkins.

A yell and something that sounded like a garbage can clattering on the ground startled Steve out of his thoughts. 

His heart started beating faster as he glanced around frantically. More yells were coming from an alley near him, and for a second he thought about minding his own business and ignoring it, but then his legs started moving towards the sounds.

A man, who had his back turned to Steve, was fighting off three thug-looking guys. The man managed to dodge and punch two of them, but the third guy kicked him in the stomach with his knee. He doubled up, letting out a painful grunt.

“You’re dead, Hargrove!” the same guy shouted and punched him, slamming him against the brick wall.

Hargrove? Surely it couldn’t be…

The two other guys blocked the exits. One of them had picked up a metal pipe from the ground.

Things were about to get out of control, and million things were running through Steve’s mind at the same time.

As the guy holding the pipe raised it, Steve lunged towards him and tackled him.

“Harrington?” Billy blurted, his mouth hanging open. Then he seemed to recover from the shock, and he dodged another hit and managed to punch one of them back.

It was still two against three, so it wasn’t looking good for them.

Steve got punched in the face, and he stumbled on the ground. Two hard kicks hit him in the side when he tried to get up. 

A police siren started blaring in the distance.

“Shit, someone called the cops! Let’s go!” one of the guys shouted.

Steve got kicked one more time, and then the three guys bolted, their steps echoing in the alley until they were gone.

“Fuck,” Steve rasped and sat up, slowly. Everything hurt.

“I didn’t know you were so eager to get beaten up for me,” Billy said, spitting blood on the ground.

“Hmh. Don’t get cocky. I didn’t see who I was helping,” Steve huffed and instantly regretted doing it. His face was on fire and talking made everything worse. 

Licking his lips, he confirmed that yes, the taste of blood in his mouth was indeed from a cut on his lower lip, and not from having bit his tongue. Or maybe it was both, he wasn’t sure.

He could sense Billy staring at him, but right now he wasn’t in the mood for the weird staring contests the other always seemed to drag him into. Exhaustion had taken over his body now that the adrenaline had faded off, and he wasn’t sure whether he would be able to stand up without staggering. With Billy watching, he didn’t even dare to try.

Billy held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go before the cops show up. I’ll give you a ride home. My car’s just around the corner.”

Steve blinked, not sure if he had heard right. “You sure?” He hesitated for a few seconds before accepting Billy’s hand, letting him pull him back on his feet. He himself was in no condition to drive.

Billy’s grip was strong, and when Steve took a step and almost tripped over his own feet, Billy’s other hand flew up to his back to support him. It was… weird. Steve felt weird. Never in his wildest dreams could he imagine Billy Hargrove caring enough to not let him fall on the ground and not make fun of him for being weak. Maybe it was guilt, if it even was possible for him to feel that. Maybe it was something else – who knew. Right now it didn’t matter.

The leather seat in Billy’s car had never felt more comfortable, and Steve groaned both out of relief and from something cracking near his ribcage when he turned to the right to pull out the seat belt. He had seen Billy driving and he wasn’t going to take any risks. 

“Are you sure you can drive? Your left eye isn’t looking that great,” Steve asked.

“It’s not the first time I’ve driven after a fight.”

Steve stayed silent. It was none of his business who Billy fought with. 

“So where to?” Billy turned on the engine and AC/DC’s Back In Black started blasting out from the radio.

Steve had to yell his address over the music, and Billy started driving to the right direction so confidently that Steve almost believed that he knew where the address was, never mind the fact that he had lived in Hawkins only for a couple of months. 

In reality, though, Billy took the wrong turn three times before Steve managed to instruct him correctly, and it took them ten more minutes than it usually took to drive there. Which would have been fine if Steve’s face didn’t feel like it was slowly swelling up into a balloon, making his cheeks and eye sockets ache. 

At last they saw Steve’s house at the end of the road, and Billy parked the car in front of it but left the engine running. 

Steve wanted to just go already, but he felt like he had to say something – anything. What did one say to the person they kind of hated and were enemies with but whom they had just saved from getting beaten up by thugs? See you then seemed too casual, but everything else seemed too much.

“Aw, shit,” Billy cursed like he had remembered something.

“What is it?”

“My parents are having guests over and they’d kill me if I showed up to their doorstep like this. Fuck. I forgot.”

“Oh. That sucks.” He didn’t really even think about what he was saying before blurting, “You can crash at my place if you want.” Instant regret washed over him like a heat wave in the summer.

Billy opened his mouth as if to say something he might regret later too, but then he huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “You do know that just because you saved my ass once doesn’t make us friends, right?”

There was the old Billy again.

“Right, well, suit yourself then.” Steve pushed the car door open and was about to step outside when a hand grabbed his arm.

“Wait,” Billy sighed. “If you’re seriously fine with it, I’d like to take up on your offer.”

Steve sized him up and down, finally nodding.

They left the car near the road, and Steve led Billy inside. The house was dark just like he had left it, so he had to fumble around a few seconds before he managed to hit the light switch.

“Where are your parents?” Billy asked while glancing around, stopping shortly to examine some photos of the Harrington family on the wall. “Your mom’s cute.”

“Business trip,” Steve mumbled, ignoring Billy’s last comment. “I’ll go get us some ice and painkillers and whatnot. We should use my bathroom upstairs to clean ourselves up.”

“You have your own bathroom?” Billy repeated. “Must be nice to be spoiled.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

When Steve saw his face in the bathroom mirror, he wanted to throw up. It was bad, really bad. The color of the skin where he had gotten punched had already started to turn into angry purple, and the cut on his lip was gruesome. How could he go to school like this, not to mention going to work? What would he say to his parents when they eventually came back home?

Billy’s face wasn’t any better, though. Steve watched him in the mirror as he tried to clean up his bloody nose with a cotton swab but flinched every time it hit a sore spot.

“Here, let me. It’s easier when someone else does it,” Steve said, and surprisingly, Billy let him. He sat on the closed toilet seat so that it would be easier for Steve to work his magic.

Up this close and with his one hand buried in Billy’s curly hair as he tried to keep his head from moving around too much, he realized that Billy’s face was actually quite attractive, even with all the bruises and cuts. Especially when those devilish lips stretched into a grin like they did now.

“I have to say, Harrington, that I could hardly believe my eyes when you showed up today,” Billy started.

“Mhm. Stay still.”

“And I’m… not used to anyone standing up for me.” Vulnerability flashed in his eyes and lasted only for a millisecond, but Steve was fast enough to catch it. “Shit, I’m bad at expressing myself. I guess what I’m trying to say is…”

Steve gave him a half-smile, which would have been a full-smile if moving his face muscles didn’t make him grimace so much. “Anytime.” He paused. “Well, obviously not anytime, since I’d rather not get into a fight again, but, you know.”

Billy let out a soft laugh, one that surely made girls swoon. “Alright, I think it’s my turn to fix your pretty little face.”

“Er, yeah, no, I can manage–“ 

But before he could say another word, Billy had swapped their places and pushed him down to sit.

He drew in a sharp breath as the disinfectant touched his wounds and stung slightly. Billy furrowed his brows and pulled the cotton swab away from his face, looking worried until Steve shook his head, telling him to continue. 

Getting glimpses of Billy’s softer side caught him off guard. He wondered how many people had seen him tending someone’s wounds with a concentrated look on his face, tongue sticking out of his mouth, hands rough but trying their best to be gentler than normally. 

He could get used to this side of him, but somehow he knew that after this night was over, he would wake up to the same old Billy who treated him like he was his biggest competitor in life and had to be eliminated.

What he didn’t understand was why, though. Why did Billy act like that? They didn’t even know each other.

“All done,” Billy said and clapped him on the shoulder. “Here’s your ice.”

“Thanks,” Steve muttered, pressing the bag of ice wrapped in a towel against his face. The sudden coldness felt uncomfortable against his throbbing skin and made his brain freeze, but soon it became bearable and almost soothing, in a way.

After treating their injuries as best as they could, they moved to Steve’s room. He didn’t want to let Billy stay in the guest room, where he wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on him.

Steve flopped down onto his bed, groaning as his body ached. He was too exhausted to keep his eyes open any longer. “There’s a mattress and an extra pillow and a blanket in the closet somewhere.”

“Right.”

He heard Billy rummage through the closet and throw the mattress on the floor next to Steve’s bed. Steve cracked his eyes open just in time to see Billy starting to strip down his clothes, and suddenly he was wide awake.

“Whoa, hold on, what are you doing?” Steve sat up too quickly, a sharp pain going through his chest.

“You’re nuts if you think I’m going to sleep in jeans and a dress shirt, Harrington,” Billy stated and started to unbutton his shirt.

“Oh.” He lowered himself back on the bed.

“What did you think I was doing?” 

“Nothing.”

Apparently Billy’s body hadn’t been saved from bruises either, and there were already a couple of purple spots forming on his left side. Steve didn’t want to think about what his own chest and stomach under his shirt looked like. 

He was already half-asleep when he heard Billy’s voice from the floor.

“Hey,” Billy whispered, “are you still awake?”

“Unless you’re dying, shut up and let me sleep,” Steve mumbled.

His reply was met with a light chuckle and silence, and he didn’t know whether he was disappointed that Billy had listened to him or glad that he could finally get some peace after a long, stressful, painful day. 

His last thought before drifting off was how nice Billy’s hair had felt when he had touched it.

~*~*~

Morning came all too quickly, dragging Steve out of the blissful unconsciousness into the harsh reality where his whole body felt like he had been squeezed through a wringer and then stuffed into a closet under a heavy pile of linens. 

He rolled onto his side and noticed that the mattress on the floor was empty. It wasn’t a surprise that Billy had left without saying a word, and he tried to tell himself that it was better this way so that neither of them had to feel awkward, but his stomach still dropped.

Then the door to his room opened and Billy stepped inside, a towel wrapped around his waist and skin glistening with moist. Their eyes met and Billy clicked his tongue.

“Twelve hours later and the Sleeping Beauty is finally awake. I didn’t dare to disturb your sleep, so I helped myself to some breakfast already,” he said and turned his back on Steve, letting the towel drop on the floor before pulling on his pants.

Steve gave him some privacy by turning onto his back and staring at the ceiling. “That’s…” his voice drifted off. “I thought you left.”

“You would’ve liked that, wouldn’t you? But no, I decided to let you enjoy my wonderful company for a little bit longer.”

“How nice of you.”

“Your face looks awful, by the way,” he commented.

“Yours isn’t any better,” Steve replied, and they both laughed. “That reminds me, who even were those guys yesterday? They didn’t look like they were from Hawkins.”

Billy patted his curly locks dry with the towel, throwing it then over his shirtless shoulder, sitting on the edge of Steve’s bed. “Yeah, they’re some thugs from the high school I used to go to. Can’t believe they drove all the way here… Those fucking shitheads.”

“And? What did you do to offend them that badly? No wait – I think I get it. If you treated them the same way you’ve been treating me these past few months, then it’s no surprise. I’ve wanted to throw a few punches at you for that myself, too.” It was meant as a joke, but there was some truth to it as well.

A sigh escaped Billy’s lips. “Harrington- Steve. You know… I know that I’ve been a jerk, still am, and there’s nothing that can excuse my behavior. To be honest, I thought you were a cocky asshole too based on all this ‘king Steve’ crap, and I guess I wanted to show you that I’m not one to be messed with. And, well, I’m sorry.”

Steve was speechless. He hadn’t expected Billy to actually apologize. “Er… Apology accepted.”

A small, relieved smile appeared on his face, but then his expression darkened. “As for those guys… My annoying step sister accidentally scratched one of the guys’ car while she was skating, and when they found out, they threatened to beat her face in.” He made a dramatic pause. “So, I taught them a lesson and smashed the goddamn car into pieces with a sledgehammer.”

Another thing Steve hadn’t been expecting. “Wow. Jesus. I… Don’t know what to say to that, honestly. You just went ahead and- and smashed…the…car…”

Hysterical laughter arose from inside him. He couldn’t help it – he had been expecting Billy to tell something about drugs, or money, or women – not wrecking some thug’s car just because he had threatened his sister.

“Geez, thanks for the sympathy, Harrington,” Billy said, but Steve saw his lips curling up too.

“Ow, laughing hurts,” Steve breathed after calming down slightly, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye. 

“Sorry for getting you involved in this too.”

Steve shook his head. “I’ve heard you apologize two times today, and if I hear the word ‘sorry’ one more time, I’m going to start believing that this is all a dream.”

Billy raised his eyebrow. “Wow, didn’t know you had dreams about me.”

“Oh you should be so lucky, Hargrove.”

They lounged around Steve’s house for a few more hours. 

Steve made grilled cheese for breakfast, getting Billy to eat one too after a bit of persuading, and then they moved to the living room with a few cans of coke. Going through the record collection Steve’s parents had, Steve chose to play Elvis Presley. Billy groaned at Steve’s choice of music, complaining about it not being hard rock. Steve still noticed Billy’s foot tapping to the beat of the music, and he even knew the lyrics to Burning Love. 

Spending time with Billy was not how Steve had imagined his Saturday going, but so far it hadn’t been as bad as he had thought it’d be.

As Billy lay on the couch, waving his hands around while telling a story of how he had once driven across the country during a school week just to attend a concert, Steve understood what everyone saw in him.

He tried to hide his horror by taking a big gulp from his can, but he started choking on it, and Billy had to pause his story and come hit him on the back.

“You okay, Harrington?” Billy asked, brows knitted together. His hand lingered on Steve’s back longer than necessary.

“Yeah, I’m good, I’m good,” he croaked, his face heating up. His long-sleeved shirt felt suddenly too hot.

“Okay, well,” Billy glanced at the grandfather clock near the wall, “I think I have to get going. I’ll see you at school on Monday?”

Steve wasn’t sure whether he was disappointed or not. “Sure.”

The smell of cigarettes lingered in the living room long after Billy was gone.

~*~*~

It was a crispy autumn morning. Red and orange leaves on trees and the ground glistened in the sunlight, and almost every house had dug out their Halloween decorations over the weekend. Skeletons, pumpkins, witches, and bats greeted him as he speed-walked by the houses.

Steve clutched his grey jacket tighter around his body.

His car was still in the parking lot where he had left it last Friday before going to work, and it had meant having to walk all the way to school and freezing his ass off because he had been stupid and forgot that mornings were always colder than daytime.

Well, he probably could’ve gotten someone to give him a ride if he had asked, but to be honest, he had wanted to give himself time to think about the topic he had been avoiding the whole weekend: Billy Hargrove.

When he saw him at school again, he half-expected him to treat him like nothing had happened last weekend.

It was a pleasant surprise when Billy stepped out of his car and honest-to-God smiled at Steve, causing a warm feeling to spread inside him. He dropped a burning cigarette butt to the ground, stomping on it, and then made his way to Steve.

His face was still bruised – as was Steve’s – but he either didn’t notice or care about the odd looks people gave them as they walked past them. 

It only now occurred to him that people might think that _they_ had beaten each other up. Jesus. He really didn’t want to be the topic of this week’s gossip.

“Where’s your car?” was the first thing Billy asked.

“Still at Family Video.”

“Fuck, Harrington, why didn’t you tell me? I’d have picked you up!” 

Steve shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Besides, don’t you always take your sister to school?” 

“I’d have let her skate here, of course.”

They started making their way towards the school building, Steve with his hands in his pockets to warm them up, and Billy with his arms swinging around confidently. 

Over the next few weeks, they started hanging out more at school like the whole start-of-the-semester-fiasco had never existed. 

Steve had had to tell Robin about what had happened since it’d have been pretty much impossible to hide, and Robin had just shook her head, reminded him that Billy was still an asshole, and told him to be careful. She and Lisa had apparently become a couple after their successful date, and now she spent most of her time at school with her, which Steve was a bit sad about, but at least it meant that he didn’t have to choose between her and Billy.

“Hey, Hargrove,” Steve started one time when they were sitting at the school cafeteria.

“Hm?” Billy asked, mouth full of cheeseburger.

Steve stabbed the strawberry Jell-O on his tray with a spoon. He didn’t understand why he was feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. “Since it’s Halloween next Saturday and I have a day off, do you, uh, maybe want to hang out with me? Watch a movie at my place while drinking beer or something?”

“You mean whether I’d like to hang out with you instead of going to Stacy’s Halloween party that’s been talk of the whole school for the past month?” He raised his eyebrow like Steve had asked a stupid question.

His heart sank a bit, and he tried to laugh it off. “Well, when you put it that way…”

“Obviously I’d choose you over those bitches any time,” he smirked and punched Steve’s shoulder, but then his face turned sour. “Except that I can’t. I have to babysit Max while our parents go out of town. Damn it. She’s not fucking five anymore! She should be able to look after herself!”

Steve gave him a sympathetic look. “Sorry. That must suck. Have some Jell-O?” He placed his uneaten Jell-O on Billy’s tray.

Billy took one look at it and grimaced. “Keep your disgusting Jell-Os to yourself, Harrington.” 

They both snickered.

“You know,” Steve took a spoonful of the red jelly, “I could come to your place then.”

Billy stroked his chin, leaning back on his chair. “Why not. I don’t think Max would mind. She’s going to drag us to trick-or-treating, though.”

“Great. I’ll bring my Frankenstein’s monster costume.”

~*~*~

Billy’s step sister was the one who answered the door when Steve knocked.

She was a small redheaded girl with sharp eyes, and she looked him up and down before yelling for Billy and letting him in. 

Their house had a big porch with big windows, and inside all the furniture was mismatched but somehow fit well together. The front door opened into a small living room that had a cozy atmosphere, and there were still a few unopened boxes sitting in the corner of the room.

Billy appeared from one of the rooms that was probably his, based on the Metallica poster Steve caught a glimpse of. “Steve, meet Max. Max, Steve,” he introduced them, leaning against the doorframe.

“So, you’re Steve, huh,” she said slowly and crossed her arms. “I’ve heard of you.”

Steve had no idea why he was getting intimidated by a little girl. “Uh, right. All good I hope?” he laughed awkwardly. “Anyway, I brought chips and coke and a few movies we can watch later.”

Max’s eyes brightened up at his announcement, and the corners of her lips curled upwards. “Cool. I guess you’re all right.”

Apparently, he had managed to earn the approval of Billy’s sister, which he considered a success. Who wouldn’t be persuaded by some snacks and entertainment?

“Stop pestering him and go change into your costume before I change my mind about taking you and your annoying little friends trick-or-treating,” ordered Billy, and Max stuck her tongue out before running into her room.

Steve put down the snack bag on the coffee table, raising an eyebrow. “Her friends are going too?”

“Lovely, isn’t it?” Billy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I told my father that, but he still insisted on me going with her. He’d flip his shit if I let her go alone.” Although his expression gave nothing away, Steve noticed his eyes darting towards the front door as if his father would burst in any minute just at the mention of him.

“Well, we better get changed into our costumes too, then,” Steve stated.

Billy’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“I wasn’t kidding about the Frankenstein’s monster costume. We’re not going to go trick-or-treating in jeans, so I brought you a costume as well.” He started rustling the other bag he had bought, pulling out a vampire costume and a pair of fake teeth.

“Harrington,” Billy growled as the realization drew upon him, looking like he’d either run away or punch him in the face if he brought the thing any closer, “I am _not_ going to put on a fucking _vampire_ costume–“

So he said, but soon Billy was standing in front of a mirror with a defeated look on his face while he glared at his reflection, a long cape hanging on his shoulders. Steve had insisted that he put his hair in a low ponytail, and the look suited him so well that Steve couldn’t stop grinning from the edge of Billy’s bed when he turned around and showed him the fangs in his mouth.

“I can’t believe you got me into this,” he muttered and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he was ready to turn into a bat and fly out of the window.

“You should start wearing those fangs more often.” He almost added, _they make you look kind of hot_ , but he managed to shut his mouth just in time. 

That had been a close one. His heart started beating faster and his face felt hot, and for once he was glad for the green paint on his face.

Besides the green paint, he had glued two screws to his temples and changed into a black suit and a dark green shirt. Both costumes had been worn only once or twice, and after growing up, he hadn’t had a chance to use them again. Now had been the perfect time for that. 

Billy had a lot of posters hanging on his walls. Next to his bed there was a collection of records and a record player, and on the other side of the room he had a set of heavy-looking weights. Steve could imagine him lifting them every morning with a concentrated look on his face, muscles in his arms tightening and his skin glistening when–

The door opened, and Max peeked inside. “I’ve been waiting for fifteen minutes already!” Then she took one look at Billy, and the annoyed look on her face turned into shocked and then amused. She glanced between him and Steve, barely able to hold in her laughter. “You got my brother to wear a costume?”

“Fuck off, shithead!” Billy lunged towards her, and she quickly shut the door, her muffled laughter disappearing behind it. Yanking the door open again, he shouted after her, “If you tell our parents, I’ll kill you!” Then he turned to Steve again, nodding towards the living room. “Let’s go.”

It was amusing to watch them interact with each other. Steve had always wanted a sibling, and even though Billy and Max seemed to fight and bicker over everything all the time, he could see that they really cared for each other. It was no surprise that Billy had wanted to teach a lesson to the thugs who had threatened her.

It was already dark when they stepped outside. Lighted pumpkins and lanterns were glimmering everywhere, and the streets were full of giggling children running around with baskets full of candy in their hands.

Max’s friends were waiting for them at the end of the street, all dressed up in some weird fantasy gowns. They waved at her when they saw her, and Steve noticed that one of them was Nancy’s little brother. 

Their eyes met briefly, and Steve just gave him a tight-lipped smile and a small nod, receiving the same greeting back.

“Cool outfit,” a curly-haired boy, who was missing his front teeth, said to him. “Frankenstein’s monster?

“Yeah. Thanks,” Steve grinned, pushing his chest out. “Yours is not bad either. You’re a… viking?”

“A dwarf, who’s a bard,” the boy corrected. “It’s a Dungeons and Dragons thing. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Right,” he chuckled. 

Max and the group started whispering something to each other, and then Max raised her head. “You both need to stay at least thirty feet away from us,” she stated, her friends nodding in agreement.

“Whatever,” huffed Billy with a roll of his eyes.

It would be a long evening.

Steve and Billy followed Max and her friends thirty feet behind them, just like they had promised, and chatted away, rating the Halloween decorations of each house they went to. It didn’t take long for Billy to forget that he was wearing a costume, and soon his cocky confidence was back. Or maybe it came back because of the costume. Billy did look good in it, and Steve was secretly glad he had picked it instead of a zombie one.

At least fifty houses later, Max and her friends seemed finally satisfied enough with the amount of candy they had gotten, so they decided to head home. 

It was way past midnight when they finished watching the last movie. Max had already gone to bed one movie ago, leaving Steve and Billy on their own. Steve felt sick from eating so much candy and chips, and he didn’t think he could move anywhere from the couch in the next hundred years even if he wanted to.

“You staying the night?” asked Billy as he rolled onto his feet, stretching lazily while suppressing a yawn.

“If that’s alright?” 

Going back to an empty house on a Saturday night felt as exciting as getting up from the couch. 

“I was the one asking, wasn’t I? My parents won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon anyway.” 

Taking off their costumes and doing their night routines, they were finally ready to get some sleep. The whole time Steve had been thinking he’d sleep on a mattress on the floor, or something similar, so when Billy casually just patted his bed and told him to climb in, the alarms went on in his head and he just stood there frozen.

Fortunately, Billy didn’t seem to notice his small breakdown as he sleepily mumbled, “Hurry up, Harrington. And turn the lights off.”

Steve did as he was told, flipping the light switch off, climbing into the bed next to Billy. He had been modest enough to wear a t-shirt with his boxers, but Billy was full-on chest-naked in his underwear. Steve tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry.

There was nothing weird about this, he told himself. Billy clearly didn’t think anything of it, so why should he? They were both dudes, and friends, and he was being an idiot. 

Lying there in the dark, listening to Billy’s even breaths, Steve finally started to drift off, his back turned towards Billy.

Then Billy started rustling around, ending up throwing his arm over Steve in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent. Steve was afraid that his loud, flustered heartbeat would wake him up, and he tried to carefully wriggle away from him, but Billy just ended up pulling him closer against his chest. And as if things weren’t bad already, the next thing Steve knew was Billy throwing his leg over him as well, creating an inescapable prison. 

Steve cursed silently and closed his eyes.

The weight of Billy’s arm and leg over him felt oddly comforting. Every time he had slept with Nancy, he had been the one to pull her into his arms, so this was a new feeling. He kind of liked it – maybe even more than he admitted to himself.

He drew in a deep breath and finally let himself relax into Billy’s touch. Might as well enjoy it, he thought. Just as friends.

~*~*~

“Morning,” Max greeted from the table without raising her eyes from the comic book she was reading when Steve dragged himself into the kitchen.

“Mornin’,” he answered groggily, running a hand through his hair. He was aware that it was sticking out in every direction like a bird’s nest, even though he had tried to pat it down with water in the bathroom. 

That’s what he got for being lazy and going to sleep with damp hair.

Noticing the plain bread Max was eating, he furrowed his brows. “Why are you eating plain bread?”

“The cheese had mold on it,” she shrugged, turning a page. “And I’m not allowed to use the stove while my parents are gone.”

“Damn.” He opened the fridge, eyeing the food inside. “Do you want some eggs and bacon?”

It finally got her attention. “Really? Billy never cooks for me!”

“That’s why I’m here,” Steve laughed and turned the stove on. 

As the smell of frying bacon and eggs filled the room, Steve felt Max staring at her. A glance over his shoulder confirmed that he was right.

“I heard that you helped Billy fight against those assholes a few weeks back,” she said, resting her chin against her hand.

Steve flipped the eggs with a spatula and watched them sizzle on the pan. “Billy told you?” 

“Um, not exactly. My friend Lucas saw you when he was coming back from Palace Arcade. He was the one who called the cops.”

“I suppose I owe him a thanks then,” he stated, his face aching from the memories.

Max gave him a toothy grin. “I’m just happy that you saved my stupid brother’s ass.”

“Don’t mention it.” He turned off the stove and shared the eggs and bacon evenly onto three plates, placing one in front of Max and another in front of himself.

“It’s weird,” Max said as she moved one of the eggs onto her half-eaten piece of bread.

“What is?”

“Billy has brought girls over before, but he’s never been like… this. You know. Putting on a silly costume, having a movie marathon, letting someone actually stay the night... He doesn’t put on an act when he’s around you.” She lowered her voice as she continued, “He’s always been kind of a dickhead, but lately he seems… I don’t know. Genuinely happy.”

Steve listened to her silently, not sure what to make of it. “You do know that we used to hate each other before this, right?”

“I know,” she snickered. “He used to bitch about you a lot.”

“I wasn’t aware,” he muttered, stuffing his mouth full of bacon. Well okay, maybe it was fair, since he had talked shit about him with Robin every chance he got. Which was almost every day since they saw each other both at school and at work.

Billy’s door opened, and he walked out in his underwear, scratching his stomach and yawning. His bedhead was almost as bad as Steve’s. He grunted out something that distantly resembled a ‘good morning’ and walked to the fridge, taking a swig of milk straight out of the carton.

“Ew, you’re disgusting!” Max exclaimed, scrunching up her nose.

In response to that, Billy took another swig while giving her the middle finger.

“I made some breakfast for you if you’re hungry,” Steve nodded towards the plate.

“Starving,” he stated. As he walked past him to get to the other end of the table, his hand briefly rose up to ruffle Steve’s hair. “Thanks, Harrington.” 

A smile tugged at his lips, but then his eyes met with Max’s. She raised her eyebrows, and Steve responded by mouthing ‘what’. 

After finishing their breakfast, it was almost time Billy and Max’s parents came home, so Steve gathered up his things and waved them goodbye, telling Billy he’d see him at school and promising Max that he’d come visit sometime soon again.

It was when Steve was waiting for the lights to turn green at the intersection, drumming on the steering wheel while listening to Queen’s Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, that a realization struck him.

It wasn’t just some small, fleeting man-crush he was having.

He was hopelessly in love with Billy Hargrove.

~*~*~

“Robin, I think I’m in trouble,” were the first words that left Steve’s mouth after he had managed to find Robin at school in the morning.

“Dare I even ask?” she huffed, closing her locker. 

Steve glanced around, scared that someone might overhear them. “ImightbeinlovewithBilly.”

“What? Speak clearly, Dingus.”

He swallowed, whisper-shouting, “I. Might. Be. In. Love. With. _Billy_!”

Robin stared at him with her mouth hanging open like he had grown another head, and then she took his hand and dragged him to the boys’ restroom. After checking each of the stalls to make sure that no one was in there, she turned back to Steve. “Are you actually serious right now? Billy Hargrove? _Hello_? He used to make your life miserable! I know that you became closer to him after you helped him, but still!”

“I can’t help it, okay?” Steve ran a hand through his hair. “He’s actually a decent guy. And I was an asshole before too, as you know.”

She bit her lip and looked like she wanted to rip her hair out. Or Steve’s. “My God, you’re such an idiot. How long have you known?”

“Since yesterday,” he mumbled. “But I- I think I’ve liked him in some weird, twisted way ever since we first met, and now it’s turned into _this_.” He flailed his arms around.

“Okay. Well. Does he like you?”

He turned slightly away, staring at the floor. “I don’t know. Sometimes he does stuff that makes me think he does, but… I- I think he might see us just as friends.”

“Fuck, Steve,” she sighed.

“Tell me about it. Steve Harrington – falling for the only person he can never get. That’s just my luck, isn’t it?”

“You flatter yourself too much,” Robin let out a high-pitched laugh while shaking her head. “Seriously, though. I don’t understand what you see in him, and I probably never will, but maybe you should shoot your shot. What’s there to lose?”

The lump in Steve’s throat grew bigger, and his heart ached. “Friendship, for starters. He might cut me out of his life completely, and at this point, I’m not sure if I could ever get over it.”

“It’s that bad, huh?” She patted his shoulder sympathetically, lips drawn into a straight line, brows furrowed. 

Bad was the understatement of the century. With Nancy he had felt like he was in control, but with Billy he always became a bundle of chaos and butterflies, and he wasn’t sure whether he’d be able to handle it for long.

“Come on, we’ll be late for class. Let’s continue this after school,” Robin said, pushing him out of the restroom.

The rest of the week went by in a haze. 

Steve considered what Robin had said about ‘shooting his shot’, but every time Billy send him a genuine smile across the room, came to keep him company at work when he was alone, and took him for a ride in his Camaro while playing him his favorite songs from a cassette, he was reminded of what he could possibly lose if he messed it up, so he kept his mouth shut.

“You’re shivering,” Billy stated when they were sitting on the hood of his car in the middle of nowhere, drinking beer, watching the stars while Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game was playing quietly in the background.

“I’m good,” Steve huffed, seeing his breath in the light of the car’s headlights. In the corner of his eye he noticed Billy starting to strip down his leather jacket, and he almost jumped over to stop him. “No, seriously, keep your–“

“Shut up and take it, Harrington.” Billy threw the jacket over Steve’s shoulders. “I thought I told you to wear a sweater when I called you this morning.”

“Ha, that’s on you for thinking that I’d remember something you told me when I was still half-asleep.”

The leather jacket was warm around him and smelled of Billy. Steve took a deep breath and hated himself more than ever. Why couldn’t he just be happy with whatever they had? Why did he want more?

Flipping open a lighter, Billy put a cigarette between his lips and lit it, blowing the smoke up into the starlit sky. “Want some?”

“Sure.” Smoking wasn’t really his thing anymore, but he still accepted the cigarette and inhaled. It burned red against the sky when he stared at it and then passed it back to Billy. He stretched out to half-lie on his back on the hood, his legs still dangling over the car. “If you had one wish, how would you use it?”

“Why are you being so deep all of a sudden?” he chuckled and took another drag from the cigarette, washing it down with a gulp of beer. For a second Steve thought he wasn’t going to answer, but then he started speaking again. “Obviously I’d use it to wish for more wishes.”

“Fuck off, Hargrove. That’s against the rules,” Steve laughed and reached out to kick his leg. Billy let him.

“Fine.” He lay on his back as well. “I’d use it to get my mother back. My real mother.”

Steve turned his head to look at him. His expression was dark and unreadable, the cigarette burning between his lips, smoke slithering up like a snake. “You mean..?”

“Yeah. She died when I was ten.”

“I’m sorry,” was all he could say.

Billy’s head turned towards him, and he gave him a small smile. “Your turn.”

It’d be so easy to kiss him right there and then. Their faces were so close to each other Steve could see the faint mischievous glint in Billy’s blue eyes. One small movement and he could press their lips together. 

_I’d use it to stay in this moment forever_ , was what he wanted to say, but all that came out was, “I’d wish for KFC. I’m so damn hungry right now I’m tempted to march into the woods and eat some raw mushrooms.”

It earned a laugh out of Billy, and the moment was over. “And here I was, thinking you’d give me some deep, thoughtful answer. Alright. We’d better get going then if we want to have some KFC before it closes.”

“You’re making my wish come true?” Steve grinned as they moved back inside the car, glad to be surrounded by warmth again. He still held onto Billy’s jacket, though.

“Just this once. You better not get used to it.”

~*~*~

It all escalated during a basketball match between Hawkins and Washington.

Hawkins was leading the other team by eight points, and the look on the opponent players’ faces turned even more sour when Steve scored another two points just before the quarter ended, the students of Hawkins jumping up to cheer for him.

Wiping the sweat off his face with his shirt, Steve send a victorious smirk towards Billy across the court. Billy licked his lips and grinned back, stretching his arms, getting ready for another round. Usually Billy was the one to score over half of the points, so Steve felt especially proud of himself today.

Two guys – one of them bald and intimidating, and the other lanky with long dark hair – from the opponent team whispered something to each other while giving Steve dirty looks, but Steve just shrugged, deciding to ignore them. It wasn’t his fault some of them were bad at losing.

The last quarter started. 

The bald guy got a hold of the ball, and Steve blocked him with his arms before he could proceed towards the hoop. The guy passed the ball to someone else. Steve ran forward to follow it. The lanky guy dashed in front of him from the side, and before Steve could do anything, the guy smashed his elbow into his face. 

Something cracked, and blood gushed out of his nose as he fell hard onto his back. 

Pain shot through him, and for a second his vision went black. The referee blew into his whistle to stop the game, and everyone rushed to his side. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and he struggled for breath, trying to stop the flow of blood with his hand.

“Harrington!” It was Billy’s voice, coated with shock.

Two hands helped him up into a sitting position, holding him steady. Someone gave him a towel to help with the blood.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” he muttered with a nasal voice while he pressed his nose with the towel, leaning forward.

“You fucking shithead!” roared Billy and lunged towards the lanky guy who was now sneering, tackling him onto the floor, throwing a punch at him. “Who’s grinning now? Huh? I fucking dare you to try something like that again!”

Their coach and the referee ran to stop him, having to use all of their strength to get Billy off the guy.

“Oh my god,” Steve stated in shock. 

“Come on, Harrington,” one of his teammates said and helped him up, leading him to the locker room.

He was pushed down to sit on a bench. The school’s nurse handed him an ice pack wrapped in a towel, a glass of water and a painkiller, and started to examine his nose.

“It’s not as bad as it could be,” she reassured with a smile, her eyes crinkling. “It should heal by itself in about two weeks. No need to go to the hospital.” 

“Thanks,” he groaned as he pressed the ice pack against his skin. 

After the nurse had made sure that he was alright and he hadn’t hit his head on the floor, she told him to hold an ice pack over the nose several times a day and eat painkillers if the pain got bad, and then she returned to her office. 

His parents wouldn’t be happy when he showed up at home with a beaten-up face _yet again_. Although, this time it hadn’t really been his fault. 

A flare of anger grew inside him when he thought about the lanky guy and how he had clearly enjoyed hurting him, no sign of remorse showing on his face. And then Billy had punched him in his place.

A warm feeling replaced the anger.

Billy walked in soon after, kicking one of the bags on the floor, still fuming. He sat next to Steve, their knees brushing together, and asked, “You okay?”

“I’ll live,” he laughed and let his head fall against one of the lockers. “How come you’re not on the court?” 

“I was disqualified,” he huffed. “The other guy was too, though.”

“Damn. We’re going to lose the game.”

Billy raised his eyebrows. “There’s still Evans. He’s not going to let those fuckers win.”

“I should get back out there,” Steve muttered, turning his head to peer himself in the big mirror on the wall. The bleeding had at least stopped, but now his nose was swollen and red.

“It’s just a game,” Billy said and grabbed his own towel, soaking it with water from a bottle. “Turn your head back.” His hand resting on the side of Steve’s face kept him still as he carefully started patting off the dry blood.

His heart fluttered at the sight of him. It was such an intimate moment – even more than the last time Billy had patched him up. Back then Steve hadn’t been painfully aware of his feelings. “Thanks for, uh, getting back at the guy for me.”

He lifted his gaze. “Of course. I’ll always have your back.”

They stared at each other, and Steve swallowed, lips parting slightly.

Before his brain could register what was happening, Billy had leaned forward and closed the short distance between them, pressing his lips against Steve’s.

The kiss was gentle and soft, sending electric shocks through Steve’s body. He moved his lips experimentally, breath hitching in his throat when Billy’s hand slid to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. His other hand rested on his inner thigh, moving slightly up, and Steve was sure he’d pass out.

Then he pulled away and opened his eyes, taking a shaky breath. Billy opened his eyes too, a confused expression crossing his face.

“I- I have to go,” came out of Steve’s mouth. He pushed him away, stumbling up, and ran out of the door.

~*~*~

He was, without a question, the biggest fool there ever was.

The confused and hurt look on Billy’s face when he had pushed him away replayed over and over in his head as he lay in his bed, and each time he felt more horrible.

He wasn’t even sure where he stood with Billy. Did he actually like him more than as a friend? Had he longed for Steve’s touch in the same way Steve had for his all this time? It made Steve’s heart ache.

Kissing Billy had been everything he had ever wanted and more, but of course, being the idiot that he was, he had screwed it up by getting too overwhelmed, and instead of dealing with it right there and then, he had ran away like a goddamn coward.

He’d explain everything to Billy tomorrow. He’d apologize for running away, and confess his feelings, and tell him he loved him more dearly than anyone else. He’d do that, and everything would be alright.

But Billy didn’t show up to school the next day. 

Nor the day after that.

By the time the third day rolled around and Billy was nowhere to be seen, during lunch Steve marched up to Max who was hanging out with her friends in front of her school, and asked about him.

“He’s sick. I thought he told you?” she said with her eyebrows raised up questioningly.

“What? No, he didn’t tell me. What’s wrong with him?” Steve asked, trying to keep his voice calm and nonchalant, resisting the urge to fidget.

“No idea. He’s been sleeping a lot and hasn’t really come out of his room.”

“Oh.” Steve felt like throwing up. Had he been the cause of that? “Okay. Thanks, um. I was just worried about him, that’s all. See you around.”

He sat in his car for an hour, hands gripping the steering wheel, not really giving a fuck that he missed his English class since he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything anyway. What should he do? Billy probably hated him at this point. He hated himself too. Why couldn’t he do anything right?

He hit his head against the headrest. It would be no use to just sit there and feel sorry for himself.

Starting the car, he reversed it out of the parking lot, deciding to skip the rest of the classes and head straight to Billy’s house. 

The drive was agonizing, and after he had parked his car in front of the house, he had to take a few deep breaths to calm his shaking hands before he had the courage to step out.

He knocked on Billy’s window, heart pounding hard against his chest.

Billy’s face showed up behind it, eyes widening when he saw Steve. He clearly had not been expecting to see anyone today since he was wearing sweatpants and a white top, and his hair was hanging on his shoulders, still damp from a shower. 

He looked as hot as ever, Steve noted.

“Harrington? What’s going on?” He pushed the window fully open so that Steve could climb inside.

Steve licked his lips, glancing around. “Are you home alone?”

“Yeah, but why–?”

Steve grabbed Billy’s face and pulled him into a rough kiss. 

He tasted slightly of cigarettes and coffee, but it turned Steve on even more if possible. Billy turned into a statue for a moment, but it didn’t take long for his arms to wrap around Steve’s back and clash their bodies together. 

His tongue slipped past Steve’s lips, deepening their kiss, and his hands slid down Steve’s body to grab his ass.

A moan escaped from Steve’s lips into Billy’s mouth when he felt Billy’s half-hard length press against his inner thigh, and he had never wanted to fuck someone so badly.

They stumbled backwards towards Billy’s bed, Billy falling on his back and Steve on top of him, straddling him. Their mouths parted and Steve could finally take a good look at the man under him. His lips were red and swollen from kissing, and his eyes were filled with desire, observing him, waiting for his next move.

“You look so beautiful,” Steve couldn’t help but say.

Billy just stared at him, and then he pulled him down for another kiss. It was slower and more passionate this time, and it made Steve’s jeans too tight, and he wanted them gone.

“Too many clothes,” Steve breathed and rolled over so that it would be easier to get both of their clothes off. He started with his shirt and was about to move to his pants, but Billy’s hand came to stop him.

“Hold on,” Billy said, a playful grin on his face. “Let me do it for you.” 

Steve sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Billy got down on his knees between his legs. With slow, teasing movements he opened the belt and then the zipper, and Steve wanted to scream at him to hurry up. He peeled the jeans down, tossing them on the floor.

“Hm, look at you. You’re hard already,” Billy teased.

“Hargrove, I swear to God–“ 

Then Billy bent his head forward, placing his mouth on Steve’s cock, licking it through the fabric, and his ability to form sentences disappeared. The only thought he had in his head was that he wanted _more_.

Billy was in no hurry, and he took his time teasing him before finally pulling down his underwear. His cock twitched in the cold air, but then Billy took him fully inside his hot, wet mouth, his fingers wrapping around the base. He swirled his tongue around it, sucking it hard as he bobbed his head up and down. Steve let out a low moan, eyes rolling to the back of his head. 

“Wait, wait, I’m about to–“ he only managed to say, and then he desperately grabbed Billy’s hair as he came into his mouth.

Swallowing everything and licking him clean, Billy let out a satisfied hum. 

Out of breath, Steve watched him from under his heavy eyelids. “You’re still wearing clothes.”

“Okay, okay.” With a hungry look in his eyes Billy stood up and started stripping down, gaze fixed upon him. To Steve’s joy he wasn’t wearing anything under his sweatpants. “Better?” He had only left his necklace on him.

“Better.”

Steve pulled him into a kiss again and pushed him down onto the bed, hands wandering around his body, tongue exploring his mouth. He could feel himself become hard again as they grinded their bodies together, desperate for more friction. 

“Fuck, Steve,” Billy moaned loudly and threw his head back as Steve wrapped his hand around both of their lengths, pumping them against each other. The precum from Billy’s cock made them slick, and Billy’s breathing got heavier and heavier the longer he went on.

Kissing and nibbling his neck, Steve fastened the pace and squeezed his hand tighter around their members. Billy’s body tensed under him and he came into Steve’s hand and onto their stomachs. A few pumps more, and Steve came too, his whole body shaking.

He slumped against him, exhausted, burying his face in his hair, careful to not put too much pressure onto his nose. His hair smelled of shampoo.

They both just lay there and concentrated on breathing. Billy shifted slightly so that he could caress Steve’s back and place soft kisses on the top of his head.

“I love you, Billy,” Steve mumbled.

“What?” Billy’s voice was raspy, and Steve could feel his heart starting to beat faster under him.

It was now or never. Somehow it felt easier when he had his face buried into Billy’s hair and couldn’t see his reaction. “I’m in love with you. Have been, for a long time now. I’m sorry for freaking out like that after you kissed me. It must’ve seemed like I didn’t want it, or that I regretted it, but no- I’ve wanted to kiss you like that ever since you first marched into Family Video with that cocky grin of yours and asked my friend out on a date. It just took me a while to realize it.”

Billy was silent, and he had stopped moving his hand. Steve swallowed, waiting for him to tell him that all of this was a mistake, and that he had just wanted a quick hookup. Maybe this was the moment where Steve’s heart would break into pieces. At least he had told him everything and got it out of his chest. At least he had shot his shot.

“Steve,” Billy said softly, and Steve raised his head to properly look at him. “In case you have failed to notice it, I love you too.” He cupped his face and kissed him. “You managed to scare the shit out of me, though, when you ran out of the room like that. I was pretty sure that I had lost you forever.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve laughed against his lips. “I was going to confess everything to you the day after, but you decided to be all dramatic about it and pretend to be sick. I can’t believe I was actually worried about you.”

Billy snickered and ruffled Steve’s hair. “Can you blame me?” Then his expression turned slightly insecure. “You’re the first person I’ve ever been in love with. And when I say love, I mean it. I couldn’t- I can’t imagine my life without you.”

Steve gently brushed Billy’s hair out of his face, kissing him again. “Fortunately you don’t have to. I’m right here, Billy. And I will be, as long as you’ll have me.” He smiled. “Does this mean I can call you my boyfriend?”

“Well I don’t prefer ‘girlfriend’, that’s for sure,” Billy grinned. “Yes, you can call me your boyfriend, Harrington.”

“I prefer when you call me Steve. That’s my name, you know.”

“Okay then, _Steve_. We need to take a shower before Max, or worse - my parents - get back home and find us lying in my bed naked.”

“Five more minutes?”

Billy sighed, but then the corners of his mouth turned up. “Alright. Five more minutes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this fic was a fun project, so I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did, even if it's sort of cliché. I might write a short epilogue to this at some point, so stay tuned for that. :) And before you come for me, I know Chris Isaak's Wicked Game wasn't released until the late 80s and this fic takes place somewhere in the mid-80s, but I really wanted to include it in this... 
> 
> Kudos, comments, and feedback are always welcome!


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